Ja Rule banned from UK ahead of tour | entertainment

Ja Rule's upcoming UK tour is in jeopardy after the rapper was banned from entering the country due to his previous criminal record.

The 47-year-old rapper was due to perform a series of shows across Britain next month with stops in cities including London, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool, but is now proposing to cancel the concerts just days before they start. Because of immigration issues.

In a post on site This tour together only to be denied entry days before my shows, which is not fair to me or my fans, these venues are 85 percent sold out and now I can't come…”

He added in a subsequent post: “The UK is one of the few European countries that restricts entry to people with criminal records.

“In general, you are likely to be denied entry if you have been convicted of an offense punishable by British law with imprisonment for 23 months or more or if you have spent more than 12 months in prison…”

He posted screenshots of his messages on Instagram, and when fans asked if ticket holders would be refunded, Ja Rule replied: “Yes refunds will be available…”

The concerts are scheduled to begin in Cardiff on March 1, but the tour has not yet been officially canceled despite Ja Rule's announcement.

The rapper – whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins – had previously spent two years in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and weapons possession charges.

He was sentenced to 28 months in prison for failing to pay $1.1 million in taxes between 2004 and 2008, as well as another two years for possession of a semi-automatic pistol that police found in his car after a concert in New York in 2007.

He was released in May 2013 after spending two years behind bars.